New Earth
by TechnoTanuki
Summary: After a terrible outbreak which spreads across Johto three trainers find themselves in a battle for survival against hordes of zombified Pokemon. Rumor has it that there are boats still docked in Olivine City - but the trek to saftey is going to be far harder and longer than any of the three could imagine...
1. I

**I**

**Monday, 11th, 4:56 PM**

"Bugging-in" and "Bugging-out" were the first two words that Agatha Pridmore had learned to associate with the zombie apocalypse.

It had all started in the most unlikely of places: a subway train, heading towards the east side of Goldenrod. Agatha, at that particular moment, was clinging to her seat with long fingers, unwilling to allow anybody else to claim it for themselves. She was returning home after a hard and laborious day at university, her workbooks cradled on her lap. She raised one hand to silence an itch hidden somewhere in the myriad of chocolate-coloured strains of her thick, messy hair and glanced around at other passengers with silvery eyes. There was the occasional chatter from somewhere at the back but other than that it had been a relatively quiet trip – something, of which, was a rare treat for the young adult.

This peace, however, was about to be forgotten – as the train whirred down to a halt someone started to get up, a middle-aged man, unaware that one of the spherical, red and white objects on his belt had started glowing a disturbing shade of ruby. It was only when he was about to step down onto the platform did he realise that something was wrong with the Pokeball around his waist. His fingers were about to grasp it when the ball shot out a crimson beam of light, taking the shape of a large weasel before it fell to the ground in a heap of shards. The two-tailed weasel reeled for a moment, trying to gather its balance, the gold floatation sac around its back and neck swaying slightly. "F-F-Floatzel?" The man stuttered, backing away slowly. "Are you alright?"

The Floatzel reared its slender head, its orange pelt bristled, and replied to its owner by plunging its saw-like teeth into the man's neck. Agatha, by that time, had gotten up, keeping as close to the doors as she could. Others had begun to crowd around the man, obviously trying to pry the Floatzel off of him, and almost caught her denim jeans and lavender jumper on the corner of the seat. She glanced at one of the people in the group – noting that one of the Pokeballs on his belt had stated to glow with that same, chilling colour too and she decided it would be better to get as far away from the train as possible. Agatha bolted, her grey sneakers charging past swarms of humans trying to find out what had happened, and the hairs on the back of her neck raised when she heard an ear-splitting roar relaying in the distance.

. . .

On a normal day Agatha would've been disgusted by the messy state of the kitchen, but today, as she rushed through the door, locking it tightly, the large pile of dirty dishes on the counter next to the sink was a welcome sight to her worried eyes. She turned to the couch in the living room which surrounded the kitchen and placed herself on the hard cushions, grabbing the remote which turned the medium-sized television on and changing channels to see the news. It seemed that Agatha was just in time, too, as the elderly newsreader had just begun to mention the unusual increase of aggressive Pokemon. "… This abnormal behaviour, some scientists are suggesting, seems to emulate that of victims who contract a rare strain of PokeRus," The elderly man explained. "In which Pokemon begin to act violently towards both other Pokemon and trainers," Agatha leaned in slightly, listening to ever word keenly. "Experts have recommended people to stay inside their homes and only leave if there's an emergency, there shall be more on the Ten O'clock news later this evening."

The girl glanced down at her belt for a moment, realising that she'd grabbed one of the two Pokeballs attached to it protectively. Fear tugged at her thoughts and she instinctively plucked it off and pointed it to the floor. "Come out, Gregor," She commanded with a harsh Scottish accent. The sphere unleashed a beam of white light and, striking the floor, manifested in the form of a red arachnid. The beast looked up at his mistress with eyes that resembled amethysts, his fangs glistening as he chirruped a greeting. Agatha sighed in relief. "Gregor, I'm glad that you're okay," She began and scooped the Ariados up onto her lap, his striped legs dangling as she held him. "I don't know what I'd do if I were to lose you…" She stroked his back gently, trying to sort her mind out.

. . .

Two hours crawled by, and still the thoughts that cluttered Agatha's brain remained. She'd gotten up from the couch, leaving Gregor to scuttle around the room for a bit, and was now munching absentmindedly on a slice of chilled pizza. She was looking down upon the streets below, peering curiously at what appeared to be a large tent, possibly being erected by the police or a medical squad. A sharp tapping noise caught her off guard – someone was knocking on the door to her apartment – and she nervously walked over to open it. What faced her when she twisted the doorknob was a girl, whose timid complexion suggested that she was no older than twelve or thirteen. "Yes?" Agatha asked after a moment of silence. "May I help you?"

The girl lowered her gaze down across her baby-yellow dress to her cherry flip-flops shyly, she hesitated for a moment. "My mom sent me to fetch you," She began, mumbling. "There's a notice that the police officers downstairs put up about checking our Pokemon."

Agatha stooped down to the girl's line of sight. "Where is your mom?" A pang of worry invaded her throat.

"In bed," The girl replied. "Mom's sick, so she couldn't come," She turned and pointed to the apartment door facing them, her blond hair shifting across her shoulders. "She's been sick for a week and I'm really scared for her."

Agatha bit her lip, but kept her calm façade. "Okay," She started. "Does she have any Pokemon of her own?" The girl nodded at her question. "I'll take them for her, then."

The girl's great, dark eyes widened in thanks and she walked away across the musty corridor into her apartment, emerging moments later with two Pokeballs cradled in her arms. "Be careful with them," She pleaded as she offered them up to Agatha. "Mom's had them since before I was born."

Agatha held the two spheres in her hands very delicately. "I'll be gentle with them, don't worry," She reassured. A question suddenly crossed her mind. "By the way, what's your name, sweetie?"

"Abby." The girl's voice shook slightly as she spoke. Agatha calmly turned and went over to the entrance of her apartment, glancing around to find that Gregor had placed himself in the living room, obviously trying to listen in to what was going on.

She beckoned to him. "Gregor, come," And watched as he gave a small squeak, followed by the pitter-patter of his feet as he approached her. She faced Abby again and started heading towards the stairs. "I'll be right back." She promised, and started the long trek down to the streets where the police were lurking.

Abby just stood there, watching as her mother's Pokemon were carried away beyond her line of sight.


	2. II

**II**

**Monday, 11th, 7:12 PM**

Agatha glided downwards, the sounds of her steps making a muffled echo as she headed towards the ground floor. There was the babble of chatter bubbling in the distance – meaning that she wasn't going to be alone in the endeavour of safety by the Police – and by the time she'd gotten to the entrance to the building a decent crowd of people had begun to swarm the streets. Gregor hopped off the last step, exhausted gasps escaping his throat, and Agatha felt him start to crawl up her body until he was firmly perched on her shoulders. The normally cream walls were tinted with a sharp shade of blue which radiated from Police cars which were lined up across both sides of the road. The light dazed Agatha's eyes for a moment, but as she exited the apartment complex she could make out the shapes of people standing in front of a large marquee.

A figure poked up above the crowd, possibly elevated by standing atop a crate or a small platform, holding a megaphone in his right hand. He lifted it towards his mouth, brushing past his indigo officer's uniform as the megaphone reared its head. "Hello," He began, his voice muffled slightly. "I am sure that many of you, by this point, have seen the paper which was pinned to the notice board this morning," He looked amongst the people gathered, his officer's hat nudged slightly by the movement of his head. "But I will explain what we're doing for those of you who haven't seen it," He indicated to the marquee for a moment. "We have been ordered to perform medical checks on your Pokemon," He raised his free hand in front of the unsettled crowd. "Do not panic, this operation is being performed across the city, and the likelihood of us having to quarantine the area is very slim," Nervous ripples of voices wafted upwards from the people before him. "Now, we'd like you to form an orderly queue to my left and we apologise for any inconveniences caused by us."

Agatha clutched the Pokeballs in her hands tightly and nervously lingered at the back of the line. She glanced back up to the building where Abby was waiting and bit her lip slightly, watching people being filtered to different areas of the marquee. She soon came face-to-face with an officer who stared at the Pokeballs for a brief moment. "Are these your Pokemon, ma'am?" He asked. Agatha shook her head.

"No, sir," She pointed up to the apartment complex. "The owner is too ill to come down so she asked me to bring them for her."

The officer sighed. "I'm sorry, ma'am," He replied. "But I'm afraid we can't really carry out the procedure unless the owner is present," He noted Agatha's surprised reaction and hesitated. "Either that, or we need a note from his or her doctor giving a legitimate reason for why he or she is invalid."

Agatha's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's a little bit overkill, don't you think?" Her voice had become sharp and cold. The officer backed off a little bit.

"I-I'm really sorry, ma'am," He replied, trying to hold his ground, obviously not used to the public acting so stern. "It's our policy, I'm afraid…"

Agatha opened her mouth, preparing to attack the officer verbally when she heard someone approaching from behind. She turned to see Abby, who stopped in front of the officer. She showed him a small piece of paper in her hands. "Mom wanted me to show you this," The little girl explained. "She forgot to give this lady the note from the doctor which came to see her yesterday."

The officer glanced at Agatha for a moment before taking the note and unfolding it, scanning the text on the paper. " … I see," He said after a moment of silence between the trio. The officer gestured to the marquee. "You'll have to come with me, miss," He told Abby, who gave him a brief nod. The officer then turned to Agatha. "As for you, I'm sure that one of our more _mature _officers can deal with your Pokemon."

Agatha nearly spat at him, but then noticed that another officer was approaching, she recognised him to be the man who'd addressed the crowd earlier. "Excuse me, ma'am," He indicated to a table on the far left. "Will you come with me?" Agatha gave one last look to Abby and then followed the officer, who brought her to the piece of furniture. Two people were approaching the table and from their white uniforms Agatha guessed that they were nurses. "Ma'am, do not be alarmed," The officer reassured, his middle-aged face creasing slightly as he spoke. "These women will be taking blood samples of your Pokemon, they've been trained to deal with any sort of Pokemon you may have."

Agatha indicated to her shoulders and Gregor began the trek down to the top of the table, gurgling curiously as he watched the people who surrounded him. Then Agatha took the second Pokeball from her belt, pointing it to the ground. "This is the only other Pokemon that I have," She assured. "Logan, come out," With that, another Pokemon emerged from the sphere, but, unlike Gregor, this one emerged in a flurry of stars. What stood in front of Agatha appeared to be a small puff-ball whose pelt had always reminded her of the shade of pink used to colour bubble-gum. The creature looked around, unnerved by the unfamiliar surroundings, and raised its floppy ears that were tipped with lime-green fur. "Logan," Agatha whispered, scooping the Whismur up into her arms. "These people just want to do a medical check on you, okay?"

Logan raised his stubby arms towards Gregor, the several dashes which represented his eyes enlarged by fear. "Whis…. mur?" He wailed slowly, his mouth constantly moving. Agatha placed Logan down in front of Gregor who circled him protectively.

"I'm sorry, miss, but your Pokemon -" One of the nurses began. "- must be checked privately, it's one of the policies we have, I'm afraid."

Agatha bit her lip, only to find that the other officer had placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, miss," He spoke, offering her a kind look. "Your Pokemon are in good hands with these ladies, I promise," She looked towards Gregor and Logan for a moment and turned to the nurses, giving them a curt nod as permission to start the examinations. One of the nurses walked over to a curtain that was hooked onto a bar circling the table and grabbed the pale fabric, dragging it across until both the nurses and the Pokemon were veiled, depicted by silhouettes where the light couldn't break through. The officer's face became curious. "So, you have an oddly coloured Pokemon too." He grabbed Agatha's attention away from what was happening behind the curtain.

"What, Logan?" She began. "How can you tell?" The officer indicated to Logan's empty Pokeball.

"Pokemon who are coloured differently always seem to sparkle when they emerge from their Pokeballs," He explained. "I think people call them 'Shinies', but I can't be too sure…"

Agatha tilted her head slightly. "Well, what Pokemon do you have, sir?" She asked. The officer took a Pokeball from deep within his trouser pockets and showed it to her.

"Here's my girl," He said as the Pokeball opened, taking the form of an oyster that was almost as tall as Agatha. The oyster's ocean-blue shell glimmered for a moment and it moved slowly to face the officer, carefully making sure that nobody was in the way of the various spikes which adorned its' sides. It lifted its' large eyes up to its' master and gave him a grin, its' head resembling that of a black pearl with a snow-coloured spike adorned on top. The officer pointed to the Pokemon. "This is Pearl," He introduced it, making the Pokemon turn to inspect Agatha. "She's a Cloyster, I've had her since I was about your age."

Pearl's smile widened. "Cloy, Cloyster!" She greeted after a brief moment of looking the girl over. Agatha glanced over to where the shadows of the nurses were, unable to make out what they were doing due to the fact that the silhouettes were hunched over the table.

Suddenly a figure from behind the veil rose up and a set of fingers flopping over the edge of the curtain, pulling it away so that Agatha could finally set eyes on her Pokemon. Both Gregor and Logan looked agitated, but fine, at least, externally. "Your Pokemon are fine," One of the nurses finally said, allowing Agatha to bring out both of her Pokeballs. "If the police permit it, then you may return to your apartment."

The officer gave Agatha a curt nod. "I don't see any problem with it," He agreed and approached her when she'd returned her Pokemon to the spheres. "I'll escort you back if you want," He offered. "It'll stop any other officers questioning your departure, ma'am."

Agatha pondered. "Okay then," She replied after a moment. "Lead the way."

The officer weaved through the crowds – guiding Agatha away from the marquee and halted in front of the glass doors. He tipped his hat slightly, revealing fronds of coal-black hair, and smiled. "Have a nice evening, ma'am." He spoke and headed back to the tent – waving to her as he departed.

Agatha soon discovered that she wasn't the only one who'd made it through the medical check, as her gaze fell upon Abby, who was sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby as she came through the doors. The young girl's eyes lit up when she saw Agatha and she ran over to her. "Are your Pokemon okay?" She asked nervously. Agatha gave her a reassuring nod.

"Mine are in the clear, so don't worry about me," She glanced down at the two Pokeballs in Abby's hands. "And what did they say about your Pokemon?"

"They said that the Pokemon are healthy, my mom will be happy about it!" Abby replied, the tone of her voice elevated slightly in happiness. They walked up the stairs together, both chatting about what had happened in the past hour, and it was only when Abby was standing in front of the door to her apartment that she raised another question. "What's your name?" Her voice echoed across the corridors. Agatha gave her a small smile.

"I'm Agatha," She answered, trying to mask her exhaustion. "Just call me if you need any help with your mother, okay?"

Abby nodded. "Okay Agatha," She opened the door and gave Agatha one last look. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that, Agatha was left standing on her own. She yawned loudly, letting go of the smile on her mouth and entered her apartment, eager to get some much needed sleep. For her, another ordinary day was lurking just around the corner, and she couldn't let a medical check get in the way of it.


	3. III

**III**

**Tuesday, 12th, 8:30 AM**

The morning sunlight splashed Agatha's face as she made her way down the busy streets, heading towards the subway station as usual. Despite the events of the night previous, it seemed that her daily routine hadn't been affected in the slightest, which was a relief. She'd given herself enough time to get something for breakfast and still be able to make it to the station with a small amount of time to spare, but yet, as she turned to her left on the sidewalk, Agatha soon found that her efforts to be efficient were in vain. She stared at a large group of people in front of the sandy-coloured building, adorned with a curved roof and bit down on her lip angrily. Rather than hanging at the back of the crowds as she'd done so last night, Agatha found herself weaving her way through the various individuals, her ears catching various sounds and voices. "What do you think happened in there?" One person was asking.

"I'm not sure," Another replied. "But one of the people who made it out said that the security Pokemon inside had gone nuts, or something!"

"Do you think it has anything to do with the medical stuff going on last night?" The first voice uttered nervously.

"Probably," A third voice joined in. "I wouldn't be surprised, considering that there's been reports of Pokemon going crazy all over Goldenrod."

Through the mass of people gathered around her, Agatha could just make out what everybody was standing around for: several officers, of which had just finished setting up barricades around themselves to prevent anyone from getting in. In addition to this, it appeared that they'd also sealed the entrance to the station using metal sheets, obviously an attempt to try and contain whatever was happening within. "People, please, do not panic!" One officer was trying to soothe the anxious swarm which had gathered around the station, the tone of his voice shaking wildly. "Everything here is under control, please just bear with us as we try to sort this situation out!"

It was then that Agatha noticed something – for behind the officer, just above his head, a small hole was starting to form. At first he didn't notice it, but the grating groans from the rapidly growing gash caught his attention. He turned to face it, unsure what to do, before an ear-splitting cry bellowed from within. A human-like hand exploded from the gash – striking the officer squarely in the jaw and hurling him across the pavement with inhuman strength. Tension suddenly escalated as several officers surrounded their wounded brethren while others addressed the limb which was still thrashing about. "People, try to stay calm-" One of the officers called out in a vain attempt to address the now terrified crowd. His voice was cut off when a loud explosion relayed from behind him, followed by a cry riddled with agony. Both the metal sheet and the hand had been stained red with flecks of blood from the impact of the bullet that one of the officers had fired, the muzzle of the pistol aimed towards the wrist. The limb dangled for a moment, then slithered back into the darkness from whence it came.

The silence that fell among the scene was heavy enough to make a person slimy with tensed sweat – which was exactly how Agatha felt as she watched the officer who'd shot whatever had decided to try and break through raise the gun, pointing it into the gash and firing a second shot. Something hit the floor behind the metal sheet, making a muffled thump as it collapsed, mortally wounded or, more likely, dead from the damage done. The officer let out quick, fear-filled gasps as he lowered his arms and took several cautious steps back.

Then a bone-chilling choir of roars and screeches erupted from the building.

The officers began to regroup, crowding around the one whose jaw had been smacked and bringing out handguns, aiming them at the metal while the group of citizens began to ripple with panic. Agatha backed away, realising what was about to happen, and kept her eyes on the barricade, flinching when a large dent suddenly appeared on the sheet, accompanied by an ear-splitting crunch. A second and a third dent followed, then a scraping sound as a large set of claws punctured the metal, dragging them across and pushing the barrier to its' limit. A grumbling growl erupted from within, which escalated to a roar, and suddenly the claws grew – being attached to a stubby, reptilian arm studded with iron shoulder guards. This was enough to make Agatha turn and start to run, and she was not alone, for those who weren't paralyzed with terror were also beginning to flee as the metal split open, revealing a dinosaur-like head covered in metal that resembled a pointed helmet, adorned with horns which tore through the sheet as if it was a scrap of paper, the mighty face of an Aggron. The officers fired their weapons, but the bullets simply bounced off of the giant beast's jaw, causing it to look down upon the group of Police officers with its' blank, beady eyes.

Agatha wasn't quite sure what was going on in the chaos behind her, but, judging from the screech of more damaged metal, the sickening cracks and terrified screams of various people, she really didn't want to find out.

. . .

The streets around the apartment complex had become disturbingly devoid of people by the time that Agatha arrived home, for only twenty minutes before when she'd set out for university the empty husks of concrete and glass had been buzzing with activity. She exploded through the door of her flat while grasping the doorknob tightly, her exhausted panting emphasized by wheezes which crawled up her dry throat. She locked the door tightly – praying silently that the crazed Pokemon at the subway station hadn't decided to pursue her – then she flopped down upon the couch, picking up the remote control in her shaking hands and pointing it at the television screen. She'd left it on the news channel deliberately, expecting to see what was going on around Goldenrod far later than she was now, and the familiar face of the old newsreader graced her sight. "… Tragedy struck Goldenrod today as a wave of reports flooded in of various attacks around the north and south areas of the city," He began as a map of Goldenrod appeared on the screen. "The worst affected areas being Goldenrod's Subway Station, the Gym, High Street and Retail District," Agatha bit her lip again tightly, her nerves tensed. "People have reported seeing various kinds of Pokemon going on rampages, attacking and, in most cases, mortally wounding or killing both citizens and their Pokemon," He gave the audience a hard look. "We now join one of our reporters, David Anderson, live from Goldenrod's High Street, please be aware that some of the images in David's report will be disturbing."

The scenery suddenly changed to a street, a young man in front of several officers in riot uniforms who were standing guard behind several barriers. The man hesitated for a brief moment before realising that he was on live television. "I'm reporting at what remains of the High Street, where, at seven o'clock this morning, many of Goldenrod's richest citizens had gathered to purchase the latest KanLabs product, X-Energy, of which had recently been restocked after weeks of waiting," His voice was shaky. "However, this mood of anticipation soon turned to terror when people noticed that some of the Pokeballs that were around peoples' belts, necklaces or other places started to malfunction and release Pokemon – which then turned on their masters and attacked both the crowd and shop employees," The camera then shifted slightly, revealing an officer who'd been standing beside the reporter. "We're joined by Officer Preston, who was one of the first to arrive at the scene," He then lifted the microphone he was holding up to the officer's mouth. "Officer Preston, what exactly happened when you and your men were sent to deal with the chaos?"

"Well, we received various phone calls and emails from people about the situation and we came out as quickly as we could to help," He began reluctantly. "By then most of those who'd come to purchase anything were dead, so the boss instructed us to try and contain the Pokemon which hadn't managed to escape to other parts of Goldenrod."

The reporter nodded. "And do you have any advice for those who may be viewing this on TV at the moment?"

The officer turned so that his serious eyes met Agatha's. "Bug in," He began. "Which basically means to fortify your home and stay put for as long as you possibly can," His voice was colder than ice. "Don't try to check up on your loved ones, and for those of you who are close enough to the city borders, bug out, which means: get the hell out of here -"

"… HELP ME!" A voice suddenly wailed, cutting Agatha's attention away from the screen. She got up and ran over to the door, unlocked it, then opened a slither of it so that she could make out what was going on. She could hear a rumbling growl in the corridor, followed by a small splash of a yellow dress passing by her door. Agatha recognised who the owner was immediately.

"Abby!" She cried and burst into the hallway. She whipped around to find Abby behind her, startled by the sudden appearance of her friend. "Abby, are you okay?" Agatha asked. Abby pointed to the stairs, whimpering, and continued to back away quickly, leaving Agatha to deal with whatever was going on in front. The teenager turned and made direct eye contact with a creature which was lumbering up the last step, its' bulky stomach swaying slightly as its' hind paws landed on solid ground. The Pokemon's red and white fur was matted, meaning that it hadn't cleaned itself for a very long time, and its' cat-like head was positioned in a way that made it resemble something otherworldly, a much more twisted version of the Zangoose it once was. It raised its', long, scythe-like claws, revealing a small cavity which had been made by a bullet, and let a gargled snarl slither out of its' mouth. Instinctively, Agatha reached for Logan's Pokeball. "Logan, go!" She commanded and released the Whismur. Logan stood in front of the Zangoose, a sudden look of determination spread across his face.

"Whis, Whismur, WHIIIISSS!" He screeched in an attempt to intimidate the gigantic beast before him. The Zangoose remained unfazed and the snarls became harsher. Agatha pointed to the Zangoose.

"Logan, use Blizzard!" At the sound of her voice Logan inhaled deeply, then released a flurry of snow built up in his gullet. The Zangoose dodged quickly and leaped up into the air, its' scythes aimed at Logan's face. "Now use Protect!" Agatha shielded her eyes slightly as the Whismur focussed and raised up a veil of mint-green energy. The Zangoose was caught off guard by this and bounced off of the barrier, hurtling across the floor and coming to a halt on the edge of the stairs. "Finish it with Hyper Voice, go!" Agatha cried, seizing the chance to stop the beast as soon as possible. Logan trotted over to the struggling Zangoose and opened his mouth.

"Whis…" His body began to expand at an alarming rate, charging the attack with as much strength as he possibly could. "… MUUUUURRRRR!" The sounds that boomed from the depths of Logan's throat were enough to make Agatha flinch, but she caught a glimpse of the Zangoose flying through the air, propelled backwards by the powerful sound waves. It let out one final howl before crashing down the flight of stairs, leaving Agatha and her friends in silence.

Abby looked stunned. "How did Logan learn those moves?" She asked. Agatha looked at her after a brief moment of regaining her breath.

"My parents were breeders," She replied. "Pokemon can inherit moves from their parents," She glanced back to Logan, who was returning to his mistress's side slowly. "But it all depends on if the offspring can learn said moves or not," Agatha pointed to the door to Abby's flat. "Get back inside and see your mother," She instructed. "She must be worried sick about you after hearing the chaos going on out here."

Abby nodded. "What are you going to do now?"

Agatha gave her a reassuring look. "I'm going to check and see if that Zangoose is still alive," She replied. "And to make sure that it can't hurt anybody else." She turned and headed down the steps, catching the sounds of a door slamming shut as she descended. Logan trailed behind, hopping down the stairs nervously, following the various flecks of crimson which dotted the walls and the steps, soon finding what remained of their attacker. The Zangoose had landed on its' back and remained motionless as Agatha approached, who was anticipating another attack from the creature. She kept her distance, but managed to look into its' slanted eyes, realising that whatever anger it once possessed was gone and such feelings had been replaced by a blank, lifeless stare. She heaved the large corpse, pushing it over the edge of the next set of stairs and listened as the body tumbled. Then she turned to Logan. "Let's go back and check on Abby." She ordered, making Logan turn and lead the way, climbing back up to the safety of the floor that they lived on.


	4. IV

**IV**

**Tuesday, 12th, 9:14 AM**

After fighting against the Zangoose and the noise which had ensued the corridors felt ominously quiet, it unnerved Agatha so much that she had to look behind her shoulder every so often to make sure nothing was following her. She could hear screams outside, as well as catching a glimpse of smoke rising from ruined buildings in the distance as she walked past large glass panes, eventually reaching the doors to the apartments. She approached the entrance to Abby's home and tapped the door slightly with her knuckles. "Agatha, is that you?" Abby's nervous voice replied.

"Yeah, it's me, don't worry." Agatha jumped slightly as she spoke, caught off guard at the loud tone of her own voice. There was a muffled click and then the door slowly began to open, revealing Abby's terrified face.

"Get in, quickly," She ushered. "Before another one of those scary Pokemon come along!" Agatha found herself drowned in shade as she entered the flat, mostly due to the fact that the curtains were draped in front of the windows. "I thought that if any crazy Pokemon which can fly come to the window and don't see any humans, maybe they'll go away!" Abby explained as she shut the door, locking it nimbly with her short fingers.

Agatha shrugged slightly, scanning the mostly empty living room and kitchen which resembled her own apartment, there wasn't even a television set or a sofa to be seen anywhere. Abby looked slightly embarrassed, but then raised her head when muffled speech wafted into the surroundings. "What was that noise, Abby?" The voice croaked. Abby ran over to a door to Agatha's left and opened it.

"I just let my friend in, mom!" She replied while poking her head into the room. "She's the girl who helped us out last night, remember?"

"She's here?" Abby's mother exclaimed. "Let her in, I want to see her face-to-face!"

Abby pulled at the doorknob, making the entrance large enough for Agatha to walk through, and took one last glance towards the curtains before entering the extremely dark room herself, Logan shook timidly, unsure about the black room, and Agatha had to coax him in with gentle whispers. Her eyes fell upon what she thought was a skeleton which had been placed in the bed and propped up with a pillow. But as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light she began to make out the shape of a silky night-dress which hung upon the lady's bony shoulders, covered slightly by long, wiry hair that looked similar to Abby's. "Hello, ma'am," Agatha began after a few moments of silence. The skeletal being raised her head, revealing black eyes that glimmered with curiosity.

"You must be Agatha," She responded. "Come closer so I can get a good look at you, dearie," Taking steady steps Agatha approached Abby's mother until she was within reach of her torso. "Ah, yes, you match Abby's description of you perfectly," She gave Agatha a soft look. "Thank you for helping my daughter and me, we haven't been in a very good way ever since I got this awful bug!" Abby's mother then indicated to something on the other side of the bed. "Honey's been a big help in gettin' me to sleep at night, too!" Agatha watched as a large neck arose from the mattress, attached to a long, graceful neck that swayed in Agatha's direction. It lifted its' stumpy feet, the Bayleef rested the upper half of its body on the bed, crooning a low greeting as the leaves which adorned its' neck twitched slightly.

"It's no problem, ma'am," Agatha spoke carefully, watching as the Bayleef's onion-coloured scales glistened as it inspected the visitor. Abby's mother then looked to where Abby was standing.

"Now dear," She began. "Why are you home so early, they probably haven't even taken the school register yet!"

Abby tensed up a bit. "Well, mom," A distressed look painted her face. "We were excused from class because the Ninth-Graders' pet Rattata killed one of the teachers!"

Abby's mother was taken aback. "How awful!" She cried. "I hope nobody else was hurt!"

Her daughter shrugged. "I'm not sure," She continued. "But when I walked home all the people on the streets were gone," Abby's eyes widened as she recalled her journey home. "There were cars all over the place, and some Pokemon began to chase me when I approached them," Then she pointed to Agatha. "There was a big Pokemon that wouldn't stop following me, even when I entered the building, and if Agatha hadn't been there, then… then I don't know what I'd do to protect myself!"

A chill went down Agatha's spine when she realised just how fortunate she was to have returned to her apartment so soon. She looked to Abby's mother, who gave her a thankful smile, then indicated to the kitchen. "Abby, dearie, why don't you go and make us a few sandwiches," She suggested. "I bet Agatha's hungry after all the excitement going on out there," Abby nodded and exited the room. Then the relaxed image on her mother's face changed to a serious gaze. "Agatha, could you close the door?" She asked, her tone suddenly shifting lower. "I don't want Abby to hear this."

Agatha hesitated, but then shifted herself, closing the door as softly as she could. "What do you want?" Her voice shook nervously. She watched as the older woman's lips curled in, as if they had developed minds of their own and didn't want to take the conversation any further.

"Agatha, you've done a lot for us, you know that, don't you?" Agatha nodded, listening closely to what Abby's mother was saying. "I'm sorry to ask, but I need you to do one last thing for me, okay?" Her eyes became watery as the words escaped her cracked mouth. "As much as I don't want to say this… I know I have to…" She glanced to Honey as she spoke. "I want you to get out of here," She began. "And take Abby with you, it's not safe to stay here!" Abby's mother spread her arms out weakly. "I've become far too ill to be able to take care of Abby properly – let alone protect her from whatever's going on out there in the streets!"

"Where do you want me to take her?" Agatha asked, her heart throbbing in her chest.

"Anywhere that's far away from here," Abby's mother responded. "Just as long as it's somewhere safe, she doesn't deserve to die out here!" She lowered her gaze. "… Nobody does."

"And what about yourself?" Agatha questioned, trying to give the woman a look of sympathy. "How are you going to survive on your own?"

Abby's mother lifted a hand over to Honey and began stroking his neck. "Honey will take care of me," She replied. "If any of those crazy Pokemon decides to attack, then Honey will deal with them, he's far more powerful than he looks!" Then she slipped her hands underneath one of the pillows on her bed and pulled out a Pokeball. "Give this to Abby," She instructed. "She's fond of the Pokemon inside this Pokeball, and I feel that she should have it, it might make her feel a little safer."

Agatha took the Pokeball and clutched it in her fingers. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her, ma'am." She promised. Abby's mother gave her a slow nod.

"Honey knows Sweet Scent," Her eyes fixed upon the door. "It'll make Abby relax, hopefully to the point where she'll fall asleep," Her voice broke slightly. "I want you to tell Abby that you need to fetch something from your apartment and leave ours while Hazel uses Sweet Scent, then take her and get out of here as quickly as you can, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am -" Agatha's attention was torn away from Abby's mother as the doorknob suddenly turned. The door unfolded, revealing Abby with two small plates in her hands.

"I'm back!" She announced and placed both sandwiches on the foot of the bed. "There wasn't much in the fridge," She began. "So I hope you're okay with just butter in your sandwich!"

Agatha opened her mouth hesitantly. "That's… fine, Abby, thank you," She forced her tongue to form the words that bubbled at the back of her throat. "I'll be right back, I forgot something at my apartment," She began to walk out of the room, followed by Logan. "I'll be back in a moment, alright?"

"Be careful out there!" Abby called and waved. Agatha glanced back at the young girl and shut the door behind her. She drifted over to the entrance to the corridor and made her way across the hall, discovering that, in the hectic fray of trying to save Abby, she'd left the door to her apartment wide open. The silence that clung to the area heightened Agatha's senses and she walked over to the windows to check how clear the roads were below. Just like when she'd entered the building complex the roads and sidewalks were ominously devoid of life. Smoke was billowing up towards the sun, probably from a car crash somewhere in the distant parts of the city and all of it was enough to make her want to vomit. It was then that Agatha noticed that the TV wasn't on, yet she'd forgotten to switch it off, and, when she tried the remote, it remained unresponsive. She tried the lights too, which didn't work either, meaning that someone, or something, had short-circuited the power. She knelt down to Logan, who remained idle as his mistress wandered about, and indicated to the entrance of her flat.

"Logan," She began. "Keep watch while I pack my things, if anything dangerous tries to attack, use Hyper Voice and I'll come running, okay?"

The Whismur looked up at Agatha. "Whismur!" He replied and trotted over to the hall. Then Agatha headed towards the closet to the right of the kitchen, flinging it open to set eyes upon a lime-green backpack. Her Trainer's Kit, something she'd received quite some time ago, a typical gift from her parents when she turned ten years old. Agatha recalled looking at it and thinking it would be no use to her and the profession she wanted to pursue: being a Professor, but now she thanked Arceus that her parents had persuaded her to keep it, just in case she ever changed her mind. She unzipped the top of the backpack to come face-to-face with a large sleeping bag, of which was neatly folded on top of some medical supplies, food both for humans and Pokemon and a couple of bottles of water. She lifted the straps and placed them across her shoulders, heaving the backpack up and supporting it with her spine, then she rolled up the sleeves of her lavender jumper and returned to Logan, taking his Pokeball from her belt and pointing it at him.

"Logan, return." She ordered and a beam of red light shot from the sphere, engulfing Logan and recalling him back into safety. She then walked back into Abby's flat, feeling a thick, flowery scent punch her nostrils. Normally such a fragrance would've soothed Agatha, but, knowing full well what the smell was being used for, it only made her sicker and she felt her hands tremble slightly as she opened the door to where the next task awaited. She returned to the room, her pupils setting sight on Abby's limp body, her face loose so that she looked relaxed, her chest rising and falling with calm breaths.

"Take the sandwiches with you, too," The woman gave a weak sigh. "You'll need them far more than I will, trust me."

Agatha stared at the sandwiches for a moment. "No thanks, ma'am," She responded. "I'd rather you have them, I've got plenty of food to feed both Abby and I."

Abby's mother shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself then," She replied. "Just make sure that Abby is protected and taken care of, dear."

"Do you want me to close the doors as we leave?" Agatha asked.

"Go ahead," The woman replied. "The more peace and quiet I can get, the better," Agatha scooped up Abby's limp body in her arms and turned. "And Agatha," Abby's mother called. Setting Abby down in the living room, Agatha turned back to face the mother one last time. "Be careful out there."

Agatha bit her lip at the sound of the woman's instructions. "Good luck to you too, ma'am." She replied and shut the door, grasping the doorknob tightly. She repeated the same technique when she'd carried Abby out into the corridors, hearing the faint sounds of a vehicle screeching as it turned in the distance, and, despite holding one of her friends in her arms and knowing that her Pokemon were also present, Agatha felt a nervous lump bulge in her throat. The feeling of loneliness grabbed at her stomach – begging her to go back to where Abby's mother had chosen to hide, but her feet had no intention of following such feelings and they continued to drag across the floor and onto the steps. Regardless of how close she was to human contact, Agatha knew that there was no way of turning back, regardless of how much fear bubbled upon her dry tongue.

It was then that her attention turned to a large stain upon several of the steps – she recognised them as the place that served as the landing space of the Zangoose's carcass. Agatha pressed onwards, half expecting for another crazed Pokemon to suddenly explode from the darkness and attack her, yet the fleets of stairs remained still, the only moving shadow being the monster created by the shapes of Agatha and Abby. Reaching the lobby, Agatha took a cautious look around the area, just to make sure that it was safe enough to continue and then she used her shoulders to push open the glass doors of the building complex. Clammy air was the first thing to hit her senses – followed by gruelling silence and the unbearable stench of death – yet, despite the prominence of these grisly things, Agatha couldn't help but wonder why there was a lack of Pokemon. She'd half expected to be ambushed as soon as her feet hit the pavement, but the only thing within her line of sight that could be considered as "lively" was the flames dancing through the shattered windows of a car, which had collided with another car.

Agatha halted at the crossroads, looking both ways instinctively as she planned her next move, and mapped out her plan internally as she crossed the roads. The subway station was to the north, there was no doubt about that, but what if those large Pokemon were still in that area? And, more importantly, was it _really_ worth the risk of encountering Pokemon that were way too strong for both Gregor and Logan to take on? Either way, she had to get Abby out of Goldenrod, and the quicker she travelled then the easier it would be to get to safety… right?

It seemed like the best option, and besides, there had to be at least one exit out of town. Agatha glanced back for a moment before placing her line of sight upon the horizon, looking for some sign that indicated escape.


	5. V

**V**

**Tuesday, 12th, 3:27 PM**

Index finger hovering just above the trigger of the handgun Joseph Margiotta took his chance and darted across the street, abandoning his hiding spot behind the dumpster in the alley. He glanced back occasionally over his olive-skinned arms to make sure none of the crazy Pokemon were pursuing him, of which were becoming more frequent as he travelled north, and eventually found himself nearing the corner of the block. Taking cautious steps, the officer sidled up against a building with his back; his hat tipped slightly as he slid across the bricks, and readied his gun while jumping out in front of the road, prepared to shoot anything that wished to attack him. What graced Joseph's mossy-green irises, however, was another empty street, a shell of its' former life, and he lowered the muzzle of the handgun slightly.

"… Abby, no!" A familiar voice cried out, followed by the sounds of someone opening a door. A little girl in a yellow dress charged across the sidewalk, tears crawling from her large eyes.

"Mommy needs me!" The girl - probably Abby - wailed. "Those scary Pokemon will kill her if I don't go back!" She bolted, sprinting onto the street, causing Joseph to pursue her. He could hear the other voice crying Abby's name over and over, but he pressed on, knowing that the girl was putting herself in gruesome danger.

He soon caught up with her, setting eyes upon a large feline as soon as he passed the buildings beside him. The feline had cornered the girl, its' jet-black pelt bristled and small sparks of electricity danced across its' blue, snarling face. Joseph instinctively aimed at the beast's neck, bracing himself as he pressed down on the trigger, and heard the bullet unfurl from the muzzle with an explosion. His aim was just a little off, for the bullet passed through the side of the feline's head, rather than the neck, as planned, but it was still enough to halt the creature in its' tracks. Blood trickled from the Pokemon's ruptured jaw and, slumping down across the tarmac, it gave out a rattling cough as it died. Joseph turned to the girl. "You okay?" He asked gently. The girl didn't respond, keeping her gaze fixed upon the corpse, and let out a small whimper when another set of footsteps approached.

"Abby!" It was the owner of the familiar voice, of whom, when she appeared in front of his line of vision, he recognised immediately to be the girl with the Shiny Whismur. "Abby are you alright?!" The girl asked as she stooped down to Abby's level. Joseph took a step towards them.

"She's going into a state of shock," He responded, grabbing the teenager's attention. "Which was my fault, I'm afraid," He indicated towards the corpse of the feline. "She saw me plant a bullet in this beast's head in an attempt to protect her."

The teenager's eyes widened and gave Joseph a mixed look of recognition and terror. "You're that officer from the other night," She uttered after a while, then looked down to the Pokemon. "What the hell's going on in this place?"

Joseph shrugged. "I have no idea," He replied. "But we have to get going," He stole a chance to view the horizon. "If there are any other Pokemon near the area, then they'll be heading here pretty quickly."

"How do you know that?" The teenager questioned as she took Abby's hand. Joseph gave a deep sigh.

"Those Pokemon have real good hearing," He explained. "It seems that if they hear any sort of gun-shot or a scream, they go straight to the source of it," The officer came closer to the girls. "They may be disgusting, but they're certainly not stupid, that's for sure," He lifted his gun, indicating to the street behind. "C'mon, knowing the force… or what's left of them, they won't reach the northern exits for a long time, if we hurry; we might be able to get outta here without any trouble!"

The teenager nodded and turned her face back to Abby's. "Abby," She began, softly. "We have to keep going, this officer-" She indicated to Joseph. "-Wants to help us out, okay?" The young girl remained quiet, but she did give Joseph a small glance, assessing him quickly. Then the teenager started walking with Abby in tow. "Lead the way, sir." She instructed.

"You don't have to call me sir anymore, you know," Joseph mentioned grimly as he guided the duo around the corner. "Call me Joseph."

"I'm Agatha," The teenager responded. "And I guess you've figured it out already, but the little girl is Abby."

Joseph gave a curt nod to both of the girls. "Nice to meet you two," Then he focussed his attention on the street which curved to the north. "This is the quickest way," He explained. "My squad often used this road if we needed to get somewhere quickly."

Agatha tilted her head slightly. "You know this city quite well, don't you?"

Joseph smiled slightly. "You have to when you're in the force, it's mandatory," He recalled his training for a brief moment. "Chief Starling made sure we knew Goldenrod like the back of our hands," He stopped for a moment, mapping out the streets in his mind. "Okay, we need to take a left here," Joseph murmured slightly as the group approached another set of crossroads. "And, if I remember what the squad said through the radio correctly, we're less likely to run into trouble if we go that way."

Abby gave out a little whimper, tugging away from Agatha, who realised what she wanted. "Abby, we can't go back," She tried to explain, unsure about what to do. "C'mon, we have to keep moving."

"Well, there's a large warehouse only a mile or two away which we'll come across if we go left," Joseph pondered. "I think Abby needs to sit down and recover, so maybe it would be a good idea to stay there for a while, and besides," He looked up to the falling position of the sun as he spoke. "It won't be long until dusk comes, trust me, it'll be a lot harder to travel during the evening if we have those Pokemon to contend with."

"It's worth a shot," Agatha agreed while keeping Abby close. "Go ahead."

. . .

The head of the now deceased Police Department poked his eyes out from the shade of the rusty, iron-cast walls of the warehouse. The gleam of fear which danced in his muddy-brown eyes strolled from left to right in their sockets with a hint of paranoia as he stumbled across the wooden platforms on short, stubby legs. He still didn't understand how it had all happened - for just this morning he, Chief Starling, was one of the most powerful men (besides government officials) in Goldenrod, and yet, as his bulky chest rose and fell with hardened gulps of air, within a mere handful of hours, he was now no different from any other commoner who was stuck in this fallen kingdom.

How Chief Starling had managed to escape those… those… those _freaks _was anybody's guess, considering that he was on the verge, or used to be on the verge, of happy days in luxurious retirement. He furrowed his heavy white brows for a moment in thought - Oh yes! Now he remembered how he'd gotten this far! He'd used his patrol unit as bait for those crazy bastards back at the Subway Station, and who could forget the squad sent to deal with the high street? Oh, what fun! It was a crying shame that the final squad had to deal with violence not caused by the crazies, but Chief Starling was most certain that they'd be picked off soon enough…

It was then that the squealing moan of opened doors wafted to the elderly man's ears and he shrank back into the darkness like a Rattata, he peered down to get a good look at the intruders: There were girls, two of them, the younger one being led by the other, and it seemed that they had a male escort whom Chief Starling instantly recognised. He bit his lip for a moment. How had Joseph Margiotta made it this far without being eaten alive? And furthermore, why would he want to help out anybody, especially young people... ? A smirk suddenly hit Chief Starling's face, baring his yellowy teeth eagerly as his mind wandered back to the events of Azalea Town. "So, Joseph, trying to make up for past mistakes, eh?" The old man growled as he headed towards the security office across the platform. "Let's see how a coward like you will fare in Round Two…" He laughed darkly as he slunk into the depths of the darkness, eager to have some fun with his cohort.

. . .

"… So, how do you know about this place?" Agatha asked as she watched Joseph tear a large gash in the plastic which cocooned stacks of tin cans.

"Well, the head of Rap-E-Dash Industries had to make budget cuts, and Johto's branch drew the short straw if you know what I mean," He replied as several cans tumbled out of the hole. "The funds for the security were punched in the gut, they ended up losing most of the staff and equipment, and hence why we were called out to stop robberies here so often," He scooped up one of the metal cylinders in his hand and examined the label. "Ravioli," He lifted the can up so that Agatha could see it with a sense of nostalgia. "Used to eat this stuff all the time in College, it's quick, easy and lasts forever if left in good condition!"

Agatha brought herself back down to Abby's level and gave her a gentle look. "Abby," She began while picking up one of the cans. "Do you have any preference over what you'd like from this stuff?" Abby took the can from Agatha's grip and stared at it, clutching it in her arms, implying that she'd made her decision. Agatha then took another can, which happened to be the same as Joseph's and nodded. "I'm having whatever you're having." She finished and glanced up to see a ladder.

"That leads to the second floor… or what's left of it" Joseph explained automatically. "They rarely do any sort of repairs on it, unless, of course, a Safety Inspector wants to visit, so I seriously wouldn't recommend going up there, if I were you."

Agatha looked around briefly. "Then where are we going to rest for the night?"

Joseph pondered, then began walking across the room. "Last time I was here there were some empty crates," He began while scanning the different selections of goods. "Now, if I'm correct, then they should still be right about here…" His face lit up after a moment. "Huzzah! Just as I thought!" He beckoned to Agatha and Abby who, as they reached him, were greeted by the sight of large wooden boxes scattered in various places. The officer wandered up to the crates, inspecting them slowly. "These things can hold at least ten people, if they were all sardined together, that is," He added as he selected one that was still in fairly good condition. The officer suddenly noted the small glimmer of doubt in Agatha's eyes. "Don't worry; these things are much safer than they appear!"

Watching Joseph peel away the loose lid of the box, Agatha reached down to put her left hand in her trouser pockets – only to find that a spherical object had taken up most of the space. The memories of Abby's mother brushed across her mind and she plucked the Pokeball from its' roost. Kneeling down to Abby's height, Agatha tapped the young girl's shoulders lightly, making her turn to look down at the Pokeball. "Your mother wanted you to have this," She explained. "I should've given it to you earlier, Abby, I'm really sorry."

Abby's mouth cracked open and a small sound squirmed its' way out. "Melody!" She uttered and took the Pokeball in her free hand, carefully cradling it. A sudden sound of wood hitting the floor softly brought the girls back to where Joseph was. He was now standing in front of a gaping, cubic cave where the only real danger which lurked within were splinters. He cocked his head towards the crate confidently.

"You girls set up shop here," He instructed instinctively. "Meanwhile I'll go and see if I can find a can opener for the food."

Agatha brushed past Joseph as she guided Abby to the shelter. "Be careful!" She called, halting when they got into the middle of the box and placed herself down upon the wooden planks.

Now that she was idle Agatha's senses began to sharpen, her ears picked up a soft stomping noise in the distance, which was soon followed by a distinctive and pungent stench. Her nostrils curled in disgust, but managed to pick out the undeniable smell of gasoline, implying that the thuds had actually been a small series of explosions. It was enough to make her look back towards Abby, who'd curled up in foetal position, hands gripping the Pokeball and the ravioli tightly as if they were plush toys. Another blast erupted, this time closer, and it caused Agatha to flinch as a crackling sound whispered quietly, as if it wanted to come over to the two of the girls and tell them something. It was this noise which masked Joseph's footsteps as he approached the crate. "I'm back," He announced, one hand wrapped around a modern can opener. "This was the only one I could find that didn't require electricity."

It was then that Agatha noticed another figure behind Joseph, the chalky-blue shade of her shell giving away the fact that the figure was Pearl. "Hi," She waved to the Cloyster, who gave her a curt nod in greeting. "Long time, no see."

The Cloyster approached Abby curiously, who stifled a small whimper and Joseph flicked one of his fingers, beckoning to his Pokemon. "Pearl, stay back," He ordered. "She needs to be alone for a moment," Pearl nodded and wandered over to join her master. "So," He began while opening the tin of ravioli he'd left behind. "What were you and Abby doing when I came across you guys?"

Agatha's mind slipped back for a moment. "Well…" Her voice trailed off. "I _was_ planning to hide in that café for the night, I was carrying Abby, you see," She explained. "Her mother wanted me to get her away from the area as quickly as possible."

"Where did you live?" Joseph's face lit up curiously.

"On Grinder's Street," Agatha replied. "Y'know, where the old flour mill used to be," She offered the tin in her hands up to the officer to open it. "Abby's my next-door neighbour, but I only became aware of her when we were all called down for those medical checks," She gave the officer a slow look. "And what about yourself?"

Joseph tensed up tightly, a nervous gleam suddenly struck the corneas of his eyes and he glanced over to Pearl cautiously. "As you know, I'm an officer, I don't have a wife or kids and the only thing I have to take care of other than my job and I is Pearl," His words flooded the crate after a brief moment of silence. "Chief Starling wanted several of us to go to the west after a flood of calls came in from people about some attacks," His gaze dimmed sadly for a moment. "We all thought that it was more of those crazy Pokemon like what was happening in the south, but…"

Agatha gasped slightly. "Humans were killing each other?!" She exclaimed. Joseph nodded in response.

"It was awful, I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that there were quite a few victims," He sat down with his shoulders hunched over slightly. "And the worst part about it was that the brawl had started over a keg of booze," He took note of Agatha's disturbed expression and sighed. "I've seen plenty of shit like this before, Agatha, trust me, I've had to deal with brawls over small things like milk or bread in the past."

_Small things... _The two words echoed in Agatha's mind as she listened to her cohort. Joseph handed her one of the now opened tins and some forks.

"Do you want me to help her with her tin too?" He asked, indicating to Abby.

"No, I think she'll eat when she's ready." Agatha replied while shaking her head. She couldn't help but stare sadly at the young girl, who was still clutching the ravioli and the Pokeball as if they were magical talismans and a string of sympathy ran across her body. It was then that a small voice wormed its' way into her mind, producing an image that almost made her vomit: _'To think, it was only just this morning, dear Agatha, that you were about to take the subway train to university.'_

Somewhere, in the distant valley of her mind, Agatha could still hear the terrifying symphony of screeches and roars from within a sandy-coloured building adorned with a curved roof.


	6. VI

**VI**

**Wednesday, 13th, 5:16 AM**

It was the chortle of clattering tins which dragged Agatha away from the sluggish safety of her dreams. She'd given the sleeping bag in her trainer's kit to Abby and now the girl looked like a forest-coloured grub which had curled up at the back of the crate, pulsating with the rise and fall of her breaths. The sounds of metal striking the floor brought her attention back to whatever was going on outside and her eyes fell upon what, at first, looked like some of the uneaten ravioli sauce from within one of the maimed cylinders. The sauce seemed to have taken on a life of its' own as bubbles billowed from its' skin, making plopping sounds when they burst upon the gooey, orange mass which made up its' body. The living ravioli sauce suddenly reared its' head, revealing a pair of wide, inquisitive eyes that pierced through Agatha's with deep shades of the petals of buttercups. "… Slugma," The sauce greeted after a moment of silence between the two of them, the deep sounds of its' voice sloppily flopping out of the magma-coated mouth it possessed, then resumed inspecting the tin cans. "Sluuuuuu….."

Agatha wasn't quite sure what to do. She instinctively feared that the creature, despite its' passive behaviour, might be one of the crazies, so she leaned slowly towards Joseph, her hand touching the edges of his shoulders and began tugging them. "Joseph," She hissed. "Joseph, wake up!"

A grunt answered her pleas for help and Joseph's mouth slacked open a bit as he awoke. "What?" he mumbled, his hands brushing against his eyelids. Agatha pointed towards the living ravioli sauce.

"There's something here," She replied anxiously. "Something that might be one of the crazies!"

Upon mentioning crazies Joseph bolted upright. "Where?!" He barked. The sudden noise startled the strange creature, who'd been feasting on whatever remained of their meal last night and it tilted its' head in Joseph's direction.

"Slu…" It bubbled. "Slugma." Then it started to move, slowly but surely, inspecting the two humans carefully as it approached.

"It doesn't seem aggressive," Joseph murmured. "I mean, it isn't frightened by us," He turned to Agatha, whose fear had turned to fascination. "What do you think?"

The teen hesitated for a moment. "Draw your gun and be ready to shoot," She instructed, receiving a brief nod from Joseph as she got onto her knees. She then extended an arm towards the creature, watching as it slithered towards her delicate fingers. "Hey there, little fella," She coaxed. "I won't hurt you, c'mon." A wave of heat radiated from the beast as it approached her skin. Its' mouth dropped open and its' lips pressed against the top of Agatha's knuckles, a soft tongue rolling across her palms. She flinched for a moment as the creature tried to determine if she was a threat or not before it spat her hand out gently.

"Slugma." It concluded wisely.

"Well, it isn't one of them, that's for sure," Agatha said while letting out a deep sigh of relief. "And it looks pretty used to humans," She ran her fingers across the beast's head slowly. "It may've belonged to someone."

"Well," Joseph glanced around the box. "Either that, or it's used to people being around here all the time," He reasoned. "Wild Pokemon have been known to hide in cargo that come here, it's a fairly common sight to see," He gave the creature a heavy look. "I know what this Pokemon is, though, I remember reading about these things back at high school in breeding classes," He recalled. "It's a Slugma, the heat which radiates from its' body can help speed up egg incubation, if I remember correctly."

Agatha continued stroking the Slugma's head. "Well, if it's a Fire-Type, maybe it can be of some use to us," She began. "For cooking food, providing warmth and light, it would make sense to take it along with us, right?"

"You got any Pokeballs?" Joseph asked while returning the handgun to his belt. Agatha got up cautiously and walked over to the rucksack beside Abby, then fingered through the various pockets until her skin touched spherical objects. She pulled it out – revealing a common Pokeball and gave the officer a confident nod.

"Yeah, I do." Then she approached the Slugma, watching as it eyed the item in her grasp. She knelt down again, allowing the Slugma to sniff at it, unintentionally pressing its' large nose against the button of the ball. The capsule flung open, absorbing the Pokemon in bright, welcoming light, and slammed shut, shaking for a few moments before a loud, high-pitched pinging sound signalised the capture.

A muffled whimper came from the cocoon which shielded Abby, followed by the sounds of the sleeping bag being pulled away to reveal the young girl's tired face. She rubbed her eyes for a moment and yawned. "What happened?" She asked, voice much clearer than yesterday. "Is there something wrong?"

Agatha shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, dear," She replied, feeling the warmth of the light which peered cheerfully through the dusty windows of the warehouse crash upon her skin gracefully. Abby slumped her shoulders and sighed.

"You took me away from mommy last night, didn't you?" Her voice shook nervously as she recollected herself, large tears forming in her eyes. "Why? She needed me to protect her!"

The look of defeat twisted Agatha's face. "Abby," She croaked. "Your mother wanted me to get you out of there as fast as possible," The words poured out from her lips in a stream. "You wouldn't have lasted for very long if you'd stayed with her -" It was then that a hand landed on Agatha's shoulder. The hand, of course, belonged to Joseph.

"I'll talk to her," He offered. "I think you need some time to yourself, perhaps gather some supplies for us," Agatha wanted to protest, but the assuring green eyes her cohort possessed were enough to convince her. She got up and walked out of the crate. "Pearl, follow her, just for safety's sake."

She heard the sounds of shuffling, followed by a large Cloyster emerging from the box, and slowed her pace down so that the Pokemon could catch up. Agatha turned to face Pearl. "Now, what do you think we'll need for getting out of here, other than food and water of course?"

Pearl's face creased as she pondered, then rotated left until her horn was pointing at a large, opened crate. "Cloy." She answered with an adamant cry.

Agatha stooped down to get a good look at what the Cloyster was trying to show her, her eyes floating across several words printed in bold, black letters:

**Content(s) of crate: FLASHLIGHTS **

**Place of origin: Kanto, Vermillion City**

**Caution: Fragile, Handle with Care**

Out of all the things a Pokemon would've chosen, flashlights would've probably been the last thing that Agatha had expected. She gave a thankful smile to Pearl and looked down upon the contents of the box, meeting the sight of tightly-packed webs of plastic, of which had been gutted – maybe by someone else who'd decided to take a gander at what remained in this place – and found various kinds of flashlights which hadn't been favourable. She picked up one of the discarded ones, plated in a clear sheath, and realised that it had been rejected due to size rather than the fact that it was a wind-up torch. Agatha knew that her trainer's kit came with a flashlight, so she could easily give it to Abby if she wanted, and Joseph probably had a flashlight of his own, too, so it made sense to take at least one that didn't require batteries, right?

Agatha, with the help of Pearl's sharp horn, released the flashlight from its' prison and wound it up for a few seconds sharply, revealing that it worked perfectly. "Anything else?" She asked the Cloyster, who nodded, and by the time that fifteen minutes had crawled across the clock Agatha had managed to find a few packets of dried foods such as pasta, soups, sauces and lentils alongside a couple of empty backpacks. She was just about to return with the goods when something caught her eye, which happened to be a large crate that, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have been of any interest. It was the gaping, cindered hole in one of the corners which brought Agatha's attention, making her reach for the Slugma's Pokeball which she'd fastened to her belt. The brash text on the box gave the perfect answer to why the Slugma had suddenly appeared: **Rawst Berries** was inscribed on the box, accompanied by: **Kanto, Sevii Islands**. The stench which erupted from within the wooden walls was enough to make Agatha puke, so she decided to head back to where the others were waiting.

. . .

Abby was the first one to meet Agatha when she arrived, but she wasn't on her own, for perching on her small shoulders was what looked like a young, muddy-brown vulture. The bird turned its' naked head, the shade of its' skin a deep, sunburnt-pink and chirped a greeting while adjusting the disturbing skull it was wearing in a similar fashion to a diaper. "Agatha," Abby began, her voice still shaky. "This is Melody, my mother's..." She flinched slightly, then took a deep breath. "_My_ Vullaby," Melody tilted her head, the three feathers on top of her head ruffled slightly, and chirped a loud greeting. "Mister Joseph talked to me about some stuff," Abby explained while trying to control her emotions. "And I think we should move on." She stroked Melody's head as she spoke. It was then that Joseph emerged from the crate, clutching the backpack in his large hands. He turned to Abby.

"Abby, why don't you help with the packing, I'm going to go and talk to Agatha for a moment, okay?" Upon hearing his instruction Abby nodded and took some of the supplies from Agatha's arms, then returned to the crate.

"How did you ever manage to calm her down?" Agatha flung the question at Joseph eagerly, receiving a small, sad smile from the fully grown man.

"I got her to talk to the Vullaby about it," He answered. "It's an old trick used to help people who've had a mental breakdown to talk to a Pokemon, more often than not, they get a lot of comfort and support from it."

"Just as long as she's okay," Agatha murmured, then gave her cohort a serious look. "We should get going soon, the quicker we get outta here the better."

Joseph gave a small grunt in agreement and they went to help Abby, who was finding it extremely difficult to fold up the sleeping bag she'd used the night previous.

. . .

Since Agatha had been rudely awoken by a curious Slugma, she could tell that it was going to be quite a hot day, for when Joseph had parted the doors of the warehouse a fist of heat bruised her face. Abby was holding her hand tightly, having changed from a duckling-yellow dress into a pair of navy jeans and a red shirt with white sleeves, which made her look much more mature. Melody was still perched on her shoulder – perhaps as a way of gaining some comfort or support – and she too felt the gigantic ball of heat surfing across her body. "The weather lady never said it would be this hot!" She exclaimed. Agatha bit her lip.

"I'm not sure if that's heat from the sun, Abby." She responded sadly. Abby looked at her, a curious glimmer in her dark eyes.

"And why's that?" She watched as Agatha pointed over to small pillars of smoke in the distance.

"There's been a fire," She led Abby out of their shelter and joined Joseph, who was staring at the cindered remains of a small set of derelict flats. Her mouth felt frozen as she looked at the smouldering skeleton, but she heard some words slip from her tongue quietly. "Sweet fucking Arceus." She uttered the words as she examined the damage. There were several deep gashes running across certain bits of metal, as if some creature had grabbed onto the building tightly.

"A Pokemon did this." Joseph murmured darkly.

"I know," Agatha replied through dry, terrified lips. "It's best to keep going, Joseph," She insisted reluctantly, facing the officer in an attempt to drive attention away from the gaunt sight in front of them. "Which road should we take next?"

Realising that he still had his duties, Joseph's posture retracted from its' slumped position. "Our best bet is going up what remains of Wilkinson's Avenue," He began, his hands indicating over to the road just east of the entrance to the warehouse. "There's a ton of Pawn Shops there, who knows, maybe we'll find something useful in the windows or something."

It had been decided – the journey was going to continue up an avenue which had been named after someone who's historically important contribution to Goldenrod had, last night, burned down in flames. Though the smell of ash and smoke was prominent Agatha couldn't help but thank Arceus that the wind hadn't brought the fire to the warehouse, she shuddered to think what may've happened if the elements hadn't been so kind. Most of Wilkinson's Avenue had come out unscathed or singed and if things were normal Agatha would've thought of it as a miracle, but, as the three wandered across the suburban wasteland, the unusual amount of buildings that were intact disturbed her a little. The road, however, was not so fortunate, for several vehicles of various models choked the tarmac and most of them were damaged in some way, shape or form and reminded Agatha of the various apocalypse-themed horror movies she'd watched during sleepovers back in high school.

It was then that she realised that Joseph had halted, staring out to something on the horizon, he beckoned to the girls. "There it is," His voice rang with a small hint of relief. "All we have to do is make sure we're all still in one piece by the time we reach the doors." He took a step forward. As his foot struck the cobbled tar on the road it seemed that some force had sensed his movement and made its' presence known through a gun-shot in the distance. This short warning was followed by a sharp wail which caused Abby to scream and cover her ears, almost knocking Melody from her perch in the process. Agatha grabbed Abby's arm and guided her, sprinting as they followed Joseph, knowing full well that the burglar alarm's sudden urge to cry would attract unwanted attention.

Had she been prepared for what occurred next Agatha Pridmore wouldn't have glanced down the alley on her right, for what charged towards her almost flung her back into Tuesday morning. She recalled seeing the lumbering reptile's armoured head, a beady eye, the other missing from its' socket since their last meeting, fixed upon the two girls below and the arms, now covered in cuts, arched hungrily. "Agatha!" Abby cried, trying to tug Agatha out of the Aggron's path, when another gun-shot relayed across her head. This time it had come from Joseph's handgun, hastily aimed at the beast's metal-coated maw. The bullet bounced off the jaw, but it was enough to make the Aggron turn and pay attention to the officer.

"C'mere, you sick freak!" Joseph taunted and plucked Pearl's Pokeball from his belt, releasing her in front of the girls. "Let's see you play fairly!" Pearl gave the Aggron a scowl and showed it her horn as a warning, which made the beast bellow a war-cry. "Pearl, use Spikes!" On his command, Pearl shook her shell, flinging some of the pointy spines which adorned her sides. They landed just underneath the Aggron's falling foot and, as a result, plunged into its' feet when it stepped forward, making it howl a second time. It swerved around until its' back became exposed, giant, metal scales swaying as it moved left and right. Seizing the chance, Joseph pointed to the back of the Aggron's neck. "Now use Spike Cannon!"

The horn on Pearl's forehead slid back slightly, then exploded from the cavity in her head, it was followed by a second and a third - all of which landed directly in the Aggron's nape and sunk deeply into its' flesh. The beast froze in its' grotesque position for a brief and gruesome moment, then toppled over, the harsh breaths which swelled in its' chest strained by the ground. A weak cry escaped Agatha's throat as silence fell amongst the trio, recovering from the shock that the beast had brought with its' fearsome power. Abby was the first to speak up, indicating to something on the Aggron's possession. "Melody, use Pluck!" She instructed. The Vullaby gave a few cheeps and flung herself from her owner's shoulder, soaring across to one of the Aggron's antlers and scooping up something small in her sharp talons. Joseph gave the girls a serious look.

"Let's get outta here while he's knocked out," He suggested while returning Pearl to her Pokeball. "I don't want to have to come face-to-face with this bastard again, trust me."


	7. VII

**VII**

**Wednesday, 13th, 6:58 AM**

Chief Starling lurched across the amber carpet of the Pawn Shop while clutching his chest painfully, trying to halt the crimson fluid which dribbled from the large, yet not fatal, gash. What blood had managed to escape had stained his indigo uniform, leaving big, brown blotches which layered the fabric with ease. He'd managed to stop the burglar alarm just as easily as he'd started it, though it had required quite a bit of ammo to do the job, at least now he wouldn't have to worry about Joseph or those kids anymore. He let a smile slip across his mouth and decided to award this victory with a small nap, so he picked out the comfiest chair he could find and hung his portly body on the seat, allowing blood to piddle from the wound and run across his abdomen.

. . .

"Oh Arceus," Agatha moaned, placing her head in her hands, back propped up against the tatty cyan wallpaper which covered the guardhouse walls. Her legs were folded as she sat on the black-and-white tiles, recovering from what had happened outside. "I thought that we were screwed for sure out there!" She flicked a thankful look to Joseph. "I owe you one, Joseph."

Joseph returned the smile and began searching the sentry posts. "Looks like we aren't the only ones who made it out alive," He began, picking up an empty square bottle that stank of whisky. "There's still some warmth on this bottle – meaning we're not too far away from other survivors," Then he turned to Abby, who was stroking Melody's head thoughtfully. "By the way, Abby," He approached her slowly. "What did you get your Pokemon to take from that Aggron?"

Abby's eyes widened slightly and she placed her hands in her pockets, pulling out what appeared to be a small scrap of fabric which was the same shade as Joseph's uniform. On it, embroidered in bright gold and capital letters, was the name: STARLING. "It was on one of the Aggron's antler-thingies," The little girl explained cautiously, as if expecting to be punished. "I thought maybe it would be interesting to look at."

Joseph carefully and thoughtfully took the scrap from Abby's possession and examined it closely, his gaze slowly darkened as he pondered. "It seems that even Chief Starling couldn't handle that monster," He bit his lip slightly. "That means I may be the only one of the force still alive…" A sudden retching sound escaped his throat, causing him to sprint behind the counter where he'd found the whiskey bottle. What followed was the sound of choked vomiting, followed by Joseph gasping for air and letting out small, exhausted cries. A look of horror spread across Abby's face as they watched the display, eventually running over to Agatha for some security before watching the officer rise up from where he'd let go of his stomach's contents. "I'm sorry about that, girls," He huffed, voice cracking slightly as he recovered. "It's just… well…"

"You don't really need to explain," Agatha replied as she got to her feet. "Knowing that there are people in the city who've had gruesome deaths would be enough to make anyone throw up, trust me."

"Can we go now?" Abby squeaked, trying not to inhale the putrid stench radiating from the guard posts. "The smell is making me feel sick!"

"Sure thing," Joseph nodded. "There are two roads leading north, one's man-made while the other is a nature trail," He glanced at Agatha. "Have any particular preference of which to take?"

Agatha pondered. "It would be better to take the man-made road," She said thoughtfully. "We have less of a chance of getting attacked by wild Pokemon, regardless of if they're crazy or not," She turned to Abby. "Are you okay with that, Abby?"

Abby's lips raised slightly in a small, but hopeful smile. "I'm fine with it," She agreed. "The less trouble the better," She stroked Melody's plumage affectionately and walked over to the doors leading away from Goldenrod. "Let's go!"

. . .

The large, dew-drenched sign which provided Route 35's name was almost completely shrouded by the thick fog which had taken over the scenery. It gave the pine-trees which stood patiently behind the fences cover, betrayed only by the scent which came from the green quills which protruded from their thin and brown arms. Agatha occasionally stole a glance at the barrier on her side of the road, noting the disturbing blotches of almost black crimson splattered in various places. She could make out hand-prints which were obviously human and felt sweat lace her neck as she tried to turn her attention to something less macabre. "You'd think that there'd be more of us on the road." Joseph whispered, providing the topic for Agatha to focus her thoughts on.

"They probably came through here before us," She reasoned as a response. "We did stay in the city much longer than most people."

"I just hope they're okay," Abby joined in, watching her surroundings cautiously as she walked. "Y'know, that the crazies didn't get them or anything."

A chill went up Agatha's spine at the mention of the word 'crazies' and she bit her lip nervously, reaching down for Logan's Pokeball in an attempt to gain some comfort in the creepy situation. "I'm sure they're fine," She reassured falsely. "If they're anything like us then they'll probably be able to handle the crazies without a problem."

A grim lump built up in her throat when she heard Joseph utter under his breath: "That depends if any of them had a gun or not, though…" to himself.

It was then that something caught Agatha's eye: movement, probably from someone lurking about in the fog, and froze, readying the Pokeballs on her belt for an attack. "What's wrong, Agatha?" Abby whispered worriedly. Agatha pointed over to where the figure had been.

"There's something here," She replied. "I saw it moving through the fog just a moment ago."

"We'll have to tread carefully, then," Joseph murmured, his serious gaze locked on where Agatha had pointed. "Try not to make too much noise, okay?"

By now the group had slowed down to a crawl, walking as quietly as they could manage, until a shape began to emerge from the thick veils of moisture. The skin of the building was patterned with an earthly shade of red, wizened by the worn corners of the bricks which made up the large guard post which was complemented by a hand-painted sign which was peeling slightly to the left. '**WELCOME TO GOLDENROD NATIONAL PARK' **was painted in bright, gaudy letters across the wooden panelling which had served to greet trainers for over forty years and yet somehow looked out of place amongst all the silence and gloom. Muffled thumping sounds kissed Agatha's ears as they approached the entrance, masked by a pair of well-worn doors which desperately needed to be replaced and Agatha felt her hands tense up as they prepared to enter the building.

Joseph placed one of his large hands on the doors and pushed them ajar slightly. "Hello?" He called into the darkness of the interior. "Is there anybody still alive in there?"

The doors creaked in response and pulled away from Joseph's palm, revealing a pair of claws which were attached to long, thin sandy-coloured limbs. The opened entrance revealed something that the group hadn't expected - for what greeted them wasn't a human being, but a large stag-beetle instead. The first things that Agatha noticed about the beast were the large, spiked pinchers which adorned the creature's naked head, causing her to back away a little bit. The creature looked at her with welcoming eyes and several gargling clicks escaped from its' mouth which were lined with teeth, taking great steps with large feet which supported the beast's body. It seemed to sense her fear and outstretched one of its' limbs, revealing a large armband made of the same fabric and colour as Joseph's uniform. The name 'CHARLIE' was stitched across the armband, which provided a small scrap of information for who this creature was. "It doesn't appear to be one of the crazies," Abby whispered timidly. "If it was, then we'd probably be fighting it."

Charlie gave Abby a friendly click from his gaping mouth. "It's a Pinsir," Joseph explained. "The National Park uses them as Security Guards," He received a nod from the Pinsir as he spoke. "It's been a requirement for public places to have Security Pokemon ever since the day that Team Rocket took over the Radio Tower."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Agatha recalled. "Everybody thought that Team Rocket taking over that place signified the end of the world…" The irony of her words clung to the air. "I guess it makes sense to have them here."

Abby waved to Charlie. "Hi, I'm Abby,"" She started. "I was wondering if me and my friends could rest here for a while," The Pinsir waved and indicated to the building entrance. "I think he says that it would be okay," Abby interpreted as Charlie began walking back inside. "He seems like a nice Pokemon."

"I'll go first," Joseph offered. "Just in case he isn't as nice as he's being right now."

The building was shady, mostly due to the fog and lack of sunlight, and several chairs rested across the creaky wooden floor. Most of them were broken and it appeared that something had torn through one of the doors to their right, leaving a large gash in the wood. Charlie dashed across to the doors and shut them tightly, as if he was frightened that a flood of crazies would charge through and turned to Joseph, clicking eagerly. He walked over to the wounded door and pushed it open, revealing a small desk adorned with cleaning goods and pointed to what appeared to be a small portable CD Radio. "I remember those things!" Agatha said with nostalgic fondness. "My friends and I used to go down to the beach with one of those things in Lilycove and blast out tunes while we swam around looking for Pearls!"

Joseph's face suddenly lit up. "Ah, I think I understand what you want, Charlie," He grabbed the CD radio and switched it on, receiving gargled static as he fiddled with the tuning dials. "If I can find one of the pirate radio stations scattered around Johto then maybe we can find out what's going on out there!"

Agatha nodded. "I'll get out some of the cooking equipment and see if I can get my new Slugma to help make some breakfast, I'm starving!"

Charlie clicked at her as if he was saying: "There's no need for that." and brought the girls over to another door. A kitchen met their eyes upon entering the room that looked extremely modern compared to the musty entrance hall to the National Park.

"I don't ever remember this place having a kitchen before," Agatha remarked as she examined the cupboards. "In fact I don't recall this place ever being as big as it is now."

"They were just putting the sink in when I came here for a field trip," Abby replied while taking out a couple of knives and forks from the kitchen drawers. "Some really rich person had donated a ton of money to improve the park's facilities," She looked around the kitchen for a brief moment. "I think they were going to use this as the kitchen for a café."

"That makes sense," Agatha agreed as she fingered around in the freezer which hummed quietly. "The more money they could make to keep this place going the better." It was then that Agatha realised something: money really didn't matter anymore. In fact it seemed that this gigantic white cube had actually been a waste of time, effort and funds, its' only purpose being to serve exhausted travellers who wanted to make something to eat.

"Agatha?" Abby's voice broke through the sudden curtain of silence. "Is everything okay?"

Agatha looked at the young girl deeply. "I'm fine," She lied and glanced over to the drawer with utensils in it. "Do you think you could fetch me a knife? Opening this pack of bacon's a real bitch without one!"


End file.
